IN Kashmir, the growing use of drugs by the youth is one of the most tragic of the humanitarian fallouts of the lingering political conflict and the attendant violence. The daily play of death and despair has created a sense of dead-end for a generation born into conflict. Most of the addicts, the data reveals, come from the downtown Srinagar and the major towns of Baramulla, Sopore, Anantnag, Kupwara which have been the hubs of the conflict and have witnessed most of the violence. The addiction has caught on among women too.
According to a recent study, Kashmir has around 70,000 substance users, and 52,000 people are using IV Heroin, among whom 34 percent drug abusers are unmarried. What is more, while a recent study of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi said that Punjab has 1.2 percent of opiate users, Kashmir study has revealed the percentage at 2.87 percent.
Steep rise in addiction has alarmed police who have launched a concerted drive against substance abuse in the Valley over the last year. In 2022, nearly 1,700 alleged drug peddlers were arrested in Kashmir. Police have registered 1,021 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. But it hasn’t made much of an impact on the ground so far. People are using psychotropic substances, barbazol and sleeping pills.
However, it is not difficult to see what is leading the youth towards drugs. One major reason is the political conflict of the past over thirty years which is taking its toll on the youth. According to unemployment figures, jobless rate in Kashmir is 24 percent. There are also a huge number of uneducated and unskilled youth who look forward to no future. The reigning political uncertainty and the humanitarian fallout of the past three decades have only reinforced the sense of hopelessness, leading youth to ease their frustration through drugs.
Having said that, the dismal state of affairs is no less aided by the easy availability of prescription drugs in the state. As a society, we are always inclined to trace these wrongs to the prevailing political conflict in the region and hence absolve ourselves of the responsibility to collectively play a role in redeeming the situation. We need to step up and face the humungous problem head on. Government, on the other hand, needs to actively engage young people in income-generating activities, including sports, to ensure that those who benefit from rehabilitation do not relapse and are embraced by their families and society once they change their ways.
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